The present invention relates generally to the field of shutters and blinds for windows and doorways. More particularly, the present invention relates to a shutter or blind assembly that can be permanently installed in a window or doorway, and yet allows the removal of individual slats for cleaning, repair, and replacement.
Shutters and blinds, of the general type having a plurality of vertically-spaced, horizontal slats that are rotatably adjustable, are well known in the art. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 165,812; 1,582,111; 2,742,681; and 3,691,687. Typically, such shutter and blind assemblies comprise a pair of spaced apart, vertical side rails or stiles, and a plurality of horizontal slats rotatably mounted in the side rails so that the slats can be adjusted between a closed position (in which the slats vertically overlap), and an open position (in which the slats are vertically spaced apart). The slats frequently have their forward edges attached to a vertically-oriented tilt bar, which keeps the slats uniformly oriented, and which allows them to be adjusted in unison.
A significant disadvantage of prior art shutter and blind assemblies is that they lack any mechanism for conveniently removing and replacing individual slats once the assemblies are installed in a window or doorway. Therefore, the removal of the slats for cleaning is impractical, while the replacement of individual slats that have become damaged, if at all possible, is difficult and time-consuming.
The aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 1,582,111 to Wogan discloses an adjustable blind assembly in which the slats are individually removable. The disclosed mechanism is, however, relatively complex and inconvenient to use. Also, this mechanism produces a visually cluttered appearance that is inconsistent with the clean lines dictated by modern aesthetics. Furthermore, there is no provision in the Wogan apparatus for a tilt bar. If a tilt bar were to be provided on the Wogan device, it would have to be detachable from the slats to allow the slats to be individually removable from the assembly. There is no suggestion of such a feature, however, in the prior art.
Thus, there is a long-felt, but as yet unsatisfied, need for a shutter or blind assembly that includes a tilt bar for adjusting the slats in unison, and which allows each of the slats to be separately and individually removed and replaced while the shutter or blind assembly is installed in a window or doorway. Such a shutter or blind assembly should, in addition, have a clean, uncluttered appearance for decorative purposes. Both of these functions would be best served by a mechanism that is relatively simple to construct, and easy for a person without a great deal of mechanical skill to assemble and disassemble.